As the Sarasota Music Half Marathon grows larger, organizers next year will introduce a race that’s much shorter. In a bid to bring in runners interested in less demanding runs, event planners will introduce the Sarasota Rockin’ 10K.

Ryan McCarthy, event director, says the creation of a shorter run, to be held simultaneously with the Sarasota Music Half Marathon on Feb. 4 next year, responds directly to a demand among local runners, who often invite friends to come to the Sarasota event but hear a rebuff when they hear of the 13-mile distance for the Music Half Marathon. “They maybe feel a little scared of running a half marathon but say if we had a 5k or a 10k we’d do it,” McCarthy says.

The event has grown substantially since it launched three years ago, adding about 1,000 runners each year and selling out every time. The race on Feb. 5 attracted 4,000 runners, McCarthy says. With the addition of a 10k in the event, organizers hope to bring in another 1,000 to 1,500 participants in 2018. Already, slots in the half marathon already are half sold out, he says.

The 10k event will start minutes after the half marathon, McCarthy says. All runners will run on the same course at first, starting at the Van Wezel and crossing the Ringling Bridge to St. Armands circle before coming beck across the causeway. Then 10k runners will return to the Van Wezel immediately while half-marathoners cross through Hart’s Landing and take a longer route to the south to Cherokee Drive before circling back. Live music acts perform along the route, with the half-marathoners of course passing more performance locations.

McCarthy notes that the event raises proceeds for local causes, and in 2018 hope to raise $85,000 for local nonprofit organizations. Reservations for the Sarasota Rockin’ 10K go on sale Friday at 9am.